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The Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) has today released the draw for the 2017 Australian Championships.

Matches will commence from 8am on Sunday April 16. The Opening Ceremony will take place at 12:30pm, followed by the Queensland Suns taking on New South Wales in the Open Men’s division, in what is one of the most anticipated Day 1 matches.

With the ACT rejoining the tournament for the first time in over 15 years, plus a team from the Australian Defence Force, there are a record 39 teams taking part in this years’ Championships – meaning there will be a massive 166 games across nine timeslots in the opening five days of competition.

The finals will take place from 9:30am Friday April 21, with the 17&U Boys and 20&U Men’s divisions kicking off Grand Final day from 9am on Saturday April 22. The Open Men’s Grand Final will be at 1pm.

Two courts will be live streamed from the championships, commencing Wednesday April 19, with all GRAND FINALS (7) broadcast on April 22nd.

AMMNA and Sunshine State Men’s and Mixed Netball are pleased to advise that ticket prices have been frozen at last year’s prices:

You often hear her voice before you catch sight of her. She’s vivacious, intelligent, and humorous, and she knows her netball, because she’s pretty much done it all.

Sue Gaudion has played, coached and umpired netball for most of her life. But you’d know, if you’ve watched netball on TV at any time in the past decade, that she now commentates. The voice and blinding blonde hair that once called the shots from the coaching bench, at the Perth Orioles, West Coast Fever, A.I.S and Australian 21U program, now holds court with a microphone in hand.

Sue calls a spade a spade, and she’d never ask you for forgiveness. Her analysis is succinct and spot on – a confidence that won’t lose its shine in what she will bring to the table as the lead commentator for the 2017 Australian Mens and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) Championships.

“I promise to bring my honest approach to commentary. No one is safe!” Sue said.

As the female arm of the sport enjoys yet another surge in popularity in Australia, on the back of the new Suncorp Super Netball competition, so is the men’s game. Every year over the past decade of the Australian Championships the amount of teams in the tournament has increased. This year a record 40 teams will take part, including new teams via the ACT Griffins and also some international flavour from across the ditch, with a junior side from New Zealand.

For the first time in the Championships’ 33-year history the event will be live streamed, and Sue arms didn’t require too much twisting to get her on board.

“Saying ‘Yes’ was pretty easy. The athleticism and speed of the game (will be what) excites me the most.”

For AMMNA, live streaming is a risk. A calculated risk. It’s also not cheap, but they are well aware it is a step in the right direction if men’s netball wants to be taken more seriously by a larger audience.

Streaming opens up the ability to showcase the best domestic competition of mens netball in the world to the world. It also provides another avenue for sponsorship and the ability to showcase the personalities of the players and coaches, something that isn’t lost on Sue.

“I have no doubt there will also be some great characters to embrace and highlight, and hopefully I can help contribute to raising their profiles and the Australian Championships in general.

The biggest difficulty for any sport is to raise profile and awareness. Live streaming the Australian Championship for the first time this year is not only an exciting opportunity, but a big step towards bringing greater awareness to the skill and high standard that mens netball offers.”

This years Australian Championships aren’t just a test for today, but a gauge for the future. At this stage there are plans for Australia to host an international mens and mixed tournament late next year, which will hopefully include teams from New Zealand, South Africa and Asia. The aim is for that series to be live streamed also.

By breaking new ground with this years’ broadcast, the stage for mens netball has never looked better. The streaming enables many more eyes to watch the product than ever before, but, peering into the future, the sky is the limit.

“It’s all about the vision, surrounding the sport with good people and then working hard on establishing the right networks. I hope in some small way, my involvement this year will contribute positively and introduce a new audience to the mens game. Anything is possible.” Sue said.

No doubt it will.

The live streaming will showcase 43 games, from all seven divisions, across four days. The 33rd AMMNA Australian Championships kick off on April 16 on the Gold Coast with live streaming coverage commencing April 19 and will include all finals.

The Australian Mens and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) are proud to announce GAME Clothing as their Major Broadcast Sponsor for the 2017 Australian Championships.

For the first time in AMMNA’s 33-year history, the Championships will be available to watch around the world, with the final four days of competition to be streamed live from the Gold Coast.

GAME Clothing have created netball uniforms for 25 years and have a brilliant reputation for their high quality products. They are a proud, family-owned company producing amazing Australian made sportswear.

For AMMNA, the partnership is a perfect fit. AMMNA President, Grant Crocker was delighted with the announcement, “live streaming is a new and exciting development at our Championships and it’s great to see a longtime supporter, GAME Clothing, become our first major sponsor. To have a company that is as invested in netball as what we are, partnering us on this brave new journey, is tremendously comforting and exciting”.

Director of GAME Clothing, Garry Pashen, says the company has had a long affinity with netball and is thrilled to be on board.

“Netball has always been a big part of our history at GAME Clothing, and we have always taken pride in our involvement with the sport over many years. We love to see, and be part of, innovation within netball and we really believe that the live streaming of this years’ Australian Championships is an amazing opportunity to further showcase the sport.

We have been big supporters over the years, so we feel we can cater for the specific needs of men’s and mixed teams and athletes. Some might see the sport as a hobby pursuit, but we know how hard the athletes train, and how professional the whole organisation is on and off the court.

I’ve personally seen the commitment that the athletes and volunteers put into these Championships each and every year. It’s definitely time that men’s and mixed netball got some much-needed attention, which is why GAME Clothing is keen to be associated with this live streaming event. We think this will be an amazing step forward for the sport.”

The 2017 Australian Championships will run from April 16-22 at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara.

AMMNA has added to its international program in 2017, with the announcement that it has accepted an invitation to add the AMMNA Reserves team to the squad heading to New Zealand for their 2017 National Championships.

AMMNA President, Grant Crocker, was excited with the announcement. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our young players in the reserves to experience this great game in a completely different environment. Playing against the regional New Zealand sides will be fantastic for their development, and could be just the stimulus some players need to help them step up to their respective state open teams”.

The team will play in the NZ Open Age division, joining the Australian 20’s who have contested this division for the past two years. Our Australian 17’s will again play in the 23 & Under Men’s division.

Players seeking selection MUST be participants at the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast, April 16-22.

The Australian squad heads to the very south of New Zealand, with the tournament being hosted in Invercargill.

AMMNA has accepted an invitation from New Zealand to enter three teams into the 2017 New Zealand Men’s Netball Championships. To be eligible for selection, applicants must be participating at the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast, April 16-22.

The AMMNA squad will head to the very South of New Zealand’s South Island, Invercargill, in September. AMMNA is sending the following squads:

The Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association are pleased to announce the umpires who will oversee the 2017 Australian Championships on the Gold Coast.

With over 40 teams at this year’s Championships, tournament organisers have selected a similar amount of officials to take care of proceedings. The response, both from Australia and overseas, was outstanding.

This year over 40 umpires have been selected, an increase from 30 in 2015 and 34 last year, showing that the tournament is growing in many areas. The umpires are full-time appointments, meaning they will be part of the entire week of action.

The umpires will again be led by AMMNA Director of Umpiring, Maureen Stephenson AOM, and assisted by Lee-Ann Quilter.

Maureen was thrilled with the response from umpires, “to have such a strong a talented group of umpires is a real testament to the growing respect the netball community has for our championships. We are delighted to not only see so many umpires returning, but also welcome those that are new to our tournament”.

Name

State

Association

Annette Sloan-Gardner

ACT

Arawang Netball Association

Carly Brown

ACT

Canberra Netball Association

Grace Underwood

ACT

South Canberra Netball Association

Vince Marzano

ACT

South Canberra Netball Association

Anna Relyea

NSW

Baulkham Hills Netball Association

Danny Dalton

NSW

Tamworth Netball Association

Jessica Roach

NSW

Manly Warringah Netball Association

Jordan Kiss

NSW

Gosford Netball Association

Kirsten Banks

NSW

Manly Warringah Netball Association

Nicole Hume

NSW

Blue Mountains Netball Association

Rachael Shallow

NSW

Gosford Netball Association

Renee Marshall

NSW

Liverpool City Netball Association

Rhys David

NSW

Eastwood Ryde Netball Association

Sarah Horne

NSW

Tamworth Netball Association

Stewart Ting

NSW

Northern Suburbs Netball Association

Zoe Turner

NSW

Parramatta Auburn Netball Association

Benjamin Manfield

NT

Darwin Netball Association

Rebecca Strickland

NT

Alice Springs Netball Association

Ashlee Spencer

QLD

Brisbane Netball Association

Carolyn Sweet

QLD

Southport Carrara Netball Association

Deborah Tapper

QLD

Southport Carrara Netball Association

Elle Bonasia

QLD

Netball Queensland

Ian Thomas

QLD

Western District Netball Association

Lisa Harm

QLD

Lockyer Valley Netball Association

Rebecca Counsell

QLD

Pine Rivers Netball Association

Sue Holden

QLD

Southport Carrara Netball Association

Zac Dawes

QLD

Southport Carrara Netball Association

Daniel Roe

SA

Gawler & District Netball Association

Andy Stuart

TAS

Northern Tasmania Netball Association

Adrian Barandowski

VIC

Parkville Netball Association

Amy Winchcombe

VIC

Banyule Netball Association

Cheryl Van Dreumel

VIC

Parkville Netball Association

Joel Owen

VIC

Parkville Netball Association

Joshua Ellis

VIC

CitySide Sports & Darebin Netball Association

Kylie Pearce

VIC

Goulburn & North Central Netball Region

Lynn Capron

VIC

Waverley City Netball Association

Mark Cockerell

VIC

AFL Barwon

Michaela Ryan

VIC

Goulburn Valley Football Netball League

Sandy Dickie

VIC

Ovens & Murray Netball League/Yarrawonga Netball Assoc

Sean Steele

VIC

St Albans/Caroline Springs Netball Association

Renae Guthridge

WA

Busselton Netball Association

AMMNA President, Grant Crocker, couldn’t hide his delight, “having such a strong response to our event is extremely rewarding for all of us. The tournament organisers are doing a wonderful job preparing the event, which includes making sure the umpires will be well looked after”.

We spoke with three umpires to find out a little more about their career in the game.

Name: Joel Owen

Club/Association/State:Parkville Netball Association, Melbourne

How long have you been an umpire?25 years! Time flies. I started when I was 12, you can do the math!

How did you get started?My father represented Victoria from the Men’s Associations 2nd year of existence and as a child our family travelled to Royal Park (as it was then known) for his training sessions. That was how I learnt the game and the rules. They were always looking for umpires to assist and I loved blowing the whistle.

How many Australian Championships have you umpired?Scary question! This April will be my 22nd Championship (I believe). I had a couple of years off along the way whilst I explored other sports.

What is the most important lesson you have you learned as an umpire?As an umpire I firmly believe that we should always look for the opportunities to allow play to continue. The use of ‘advantage’ takes skill and lots of practice. If we can go un-noticed in a game we have done a good job.

What is your career outside umpiring?I work for CGU Insurance in Relationship and Sales Management.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get into umpiring?Give it a go! Know your rules. Watch and learn from more experienced umpires and umpire coaches and, most importantly, have fun! Nobody likes a grumpy, over officious umpire.

Name:Elle Bonasia

Club/Association/State:Queensland Suns, Netball Queensland

How long have you been an umpire?I started in 2006. My daughter needed an umpire for her under 12 team and I thought “How hard could this be?”, as I was a player for many years. I knew the rules, but boy was I wrong.

How many Australian Championships have you umpired?Five

What is the most important lesson you have you learned as an umpire?Age is no barrier. I started to umpire in my early forties and am still going strong ten years later. Know that no one can umpire a perfect game and even us umpires makes mistakes as players do. Grow with each game. Absorb as much knowledge from experienced umpire coaches.

Career outside of umpiring:Work at a special school as a teacher aide. I work with students who have multi impairments, mainly focusing on mobility and therapy. I’ve been doing it 15 years and I still love my job.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get into umpiring?Read and learn the rules first. Never stop asking questions. Never be afraid to say, “I don’t understand”. Don’t compare yourself to others. You can do it whether you’re young or old as long, as you get enjoyment out of it and are willing to do some hard work!

How long have you been an umpire? Since I was 13, so I’m now in my sixth year of umpiring.

How many Australian Championships have you umpired?I only have umpired two Australian championships and this year will be my third. I have also been fortunate enough to also travel to New Zealand with the junior Australian teams to umpire at New Zealand Mens National Championships for the last two years.

How did you get started? In my first year of umpiring, I was asked to apply for the Rep Umpire Program that Gosford run every year. Which is a training program for umpires of all ages. As part of the program you attended weekly off court training sessions, along with traveling with our associations representative junior teams to carnivals. During both regular Saturday competition matches and the carnivals, being part of the program gave me access to coaching during the games.

My first year as being part of this program, and second year of umpiring, still only being 13, I gained my National C Badge. From there I gained access to many opportunities, such as umpiring Metro League, State and Academy trial and training matches etc.

This is when I applied to umpire Mens and Mixed.

Then at the age of 15, gained my National B badge.

What is the most important lesson have you learnt as an umpire? Umpiring has taught me patience, confidence and resilience in situations in regular life away from the court.

What is your career outside of umpiring?I am currently a student in Year 12.